Education Reform: Struggling to Launch

How much responsibility do colleges bear in helping launch the careers of their new graduates?

Until recently, not much. Many colleges followed the same tired playbook year after year: a career office tucked away in a corner of the campus, employer fairs, visits from corporate recruiters, and then, six months or so after commencement, a survey of graduates, few of whom responded (yet that didn’t stop the colleges from publicizing amazingly high job-placement rates).

Now, in an economy stuck in neutral for the last four graduating classes and as college prices continue to rise, prospective students and their parents are increasingly weighing the value of the degree against its cost. Not all institutions are under scrutiny, but those with mediocre academic reputations, high prices, and graduates with high debt loads are facing the most pressure right now.